Tatag Hamlet: Armed with uniqueness Leads to Tourism Village

Aside from having the Alas Kedaton tourist attraction, Kukuh village, Marga subdistrict, also has the other potential tourist attractions. The presence of wood-carving, traditional house compound, ancient relics, trekking path and Ulun Danu (a pond owned by Subak) has become the supporting tourist attraction. It was revealed in a workshop held by the Bali Government Tourism Office related to the development of rural tourism at the village, recently. The speakers presented on that occasion were the Division Head of Research and Development of the Bali Government Tourism Office, Tabanan Culture and Tourism Agency, Tabanan Development Planning Agency and lecturers from the Udayana University.A researcher, Ida Bagus Ketut Surya, said that Kukuh village was potential to be made a tourism village because it had Alas Kedaton tourist attraction. Tatag hamlet located in the north of Alas Kedaton had potential to be developed into trekking tourism. A journey for 1.5 hours could offer a very beautiful rice fields.

The Head of Tabanan Culture and Tourism, Wayan Adnyana, explained that Tabanan had 25 tourist objects and attractions. However, only eight of them complied with the new standards of tourist object management. One of them was the Alas Kedaton at Kukuh village. He said there were changes in the current trend of tourist interest where they went back to nature tourism, so that the potential of the nature and culture-based tourism in Tabanan was very possible to be managed as tourist attraction.Tatag hamlet had a myriad of uniqueness so that it was very potential to be made into a tourism village. Some of the uniqueness included a temple spring surrounded by four showers in the four directions; local residents abstained from consuming beef; as well as most of elderly villagers served as temple priests. Topography of the hamlet was terraced so that it made the hamlet look very unique. Besides, it also had uniqueness where people taking bath in public bathing place should be naked, without a piece of cloth.

Headman of Kukuh village, Ketut Budiarta, said the public bathing place was sacred. The water was clear and did not decrease despite in dry season. “Women are in their period are prohibited from bathing in the shower. Similarly, the other residents who are in cuntaka period or temporarily impure (due to a death of family member) do not dare to shower in the spring of the Gede Dalem Majapahit Temple,” he said.In 2010, explained Budiarta, the students of Tourism Faculty of the Udayana University made a research for the development of Kukuh village into a tourism village. “The workshop today poses the follow up of the results of research made by the Faculty of Tourism, Udayana University,” said Budiarta. (BTN/015)